Farm crisis forum in Mankato on February 29

Farmers, rural residents and other concerned citizens from across Minnesota will gather at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Mankato on Saturday, February 29. The meeting centers on a Farm Crisis Forum involving farm families ​and allies, Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Peterson and the Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

The farm crisis forum will take place between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the hotel, located at 901 Raintree Road, Mankato.

During the past several months, hundreds of Land Stewardship Project (LSP) members have been meeting across the state to discuss how to address the economic crisis that is plaguing the farm community. LSP farmer-members and other rural residents have developed a list of public policy proposals for addressing the crisis as it relates to market access, credit availability, consolidation, mega-mergers, healthcare, support for struggling farmers, climate change and the structure of cooperatives. On Saturday, Feb. 29, LSP members and staff will meet with Commissioner Petersen and Attorney General Ellison to present them a petition that calls for numerous policy changes as well as enforcement of current law as it relates to the structure of agribusiness. Participants in the Farm Crisis Forum will take part in small group discussions and share with the public officials and their staff the dire nature of the situation and what steps need to be taken in the short term as well as the long term.

The Bonanza Valley Voice newspaper family has these issues on our radar. Stay tuned for further coverage.